An Anti-Prep Bigger than the Royals? Prepalicious Sales & Savings, Friday Fun

Hello-Hello, and happy weekend to everyone.

Because of the holiday weekend we are brief, and primarily focused on lighter fare, Monday’s post is always solemn enough.

We begin with several tidbits of note:

• Sadly, this morning marked the end for Elaine’s, an Upper East Side mainstay for decades. Elaine Kaufman ran the restaurant for more than 40 years, until her death late last year. Even if you never actually went to Elaine’s, you may well have seen its interior, Woody Allen’s Manhattan was filmed at the legendary spot.
• There is an abundance of rumors that Gossip Girl actress Blake Lively is seeing the newly-single Leo DiCaprio. (Oh my!)

FAME photo via The Blemish

More from Fox News:

“DiCaprio also happens to be on the rebound. He just split with 25-year-old Israeli supermodel Bar Rafaeli, and they’re known to be on-and-off.”

• In our Monday post about the Chelsea Flower Show we forgot to include the Hunter boots done in Royal Horticultural Society prints, they really are darling.

Hunter/RHS

•  Our final tidbit involves one of the original Anti-Preps, Kim Kardashian. It is actually more of a “Help Me Understand,” as  we are genuinely befuddled, this CBS News headline explains the subject of our dismay.

Kim Kardashian will out-do the royal wedding, sister says

Seth Browarnik/startraksphoto.com via E! Online

Here is more from an E Online! story by Marc Malkin:

“It’s going to be royal wedding number two,” sister Khloé told me earlier today while promoting the new season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. “I could only imagine Kim having the hugest wedding.”

Little the varying family members have done is surprising, but in this instance we admit to being taken aback, and must ask those more knowledgeable about the cast of characters: really?? Really truly??

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We move on now to our weekend roundup of fiscally friendly Sales & Savings opportunities:

• Talbots is offering an additional 25% off already-reduced sale and clearance merchandise.
• Polo Ralph Lauren is promoting an extra 25% off “select already-reduced styles”
• At Polo Ralph Lauren outlet stores the offer includes savings of “25% on select styles” plus an additional 20% off  your entire purchase

PLR

• Be cognizant of what the promotional literature for the J. Crew Factory “sale” is offering, which is nothing other than the existing discounts. We aren’t saying there aren’t fiscally friendly prices, but prices are as marked, there is no additional discount being taken.

J. Crew

•  The semi-annual sale at Nordstrom is underway with reductions on women’s and children’s merchandise.

Nordstrom

• Lacoste outlet stores offer 25% off everything in the store.

Lacoste Outlet Stores

• Brooks Brothers Factory stores are offering 40% off your entire purchase
• Ann Taylor is promoting an extra 40% off already-reduced styles, use promo code EXTRA40 at checkout
• At Ann Taylor Loft the deal is even better, 50% off already-reduced merchandise entire purchase
• Saks, Neimans and Barneys all have varying discounts and sales meriting a look; at Bloomies it is the Big Brown Bag sale

Bloomingdale's

Happy Hunting.

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In the Friday Fun portion of our post, a few trinkets that caught our attention; first, the Barbie Dream House Ring.

Via nOir Jewelry

We first saw the ring mentioned at The Fashion Planner blog and just found it fascinating, so we popped over to Jewelry nOir,  where the ring is sold, for a closer look. While not something we would wear, for some reason the ring is intriguing.

Our other fun item is a favorite here at The Prepatorium, it’s Fleet Week in the city.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

That’s the USS New York passing in front of the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday, when events honoring our Marine and Navy corps kick off.  You’ll always find me partial to sailors, my father was a WWII USN officer.  Below, the USS Iwo Jima heads up the Hudson.

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

God love our troops…

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

And everyone who supports them.

Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Here’s the USS New York (rear), which was built from steel recovered from the World Trade center attacks, as it goes past the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum.

Kathy Willens/AP Photo

May your weekend be safe and happy. If still thinking about a way to observe the holiday, here are some ideas from the National World War II Museum.

“Preppy Fabrics” and A Ring for Snooki

Hello and welcome to a Wednesday here at the Prepatorium.

We begin on the far side of the pond for a trip to the track (gasp). We can all remain calm, this is not some nefarious excursion, we are talking about Ladies Day at Cheltenham. Below, two of the many hats seen at the event.

We were chatting with the Queen Bee about Cheltenham, and both of us thought Zara Phillips looked very well put together.  The young woman, who is an Olympic level equestrienne (and 13th in line to the throne) sported a flat cap today, eschewing the more elaborate styles seen on others.

Not only is Cheltenham always a sure sign of spring, we enjoy seeing what everyone wears, as the “go big or don’t go at all” credo always seems to be a strong influence at this event.

David Davies/PA via The Guardian

Now that is some serious pink.

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Next, a delightful little photo piece done by the good folks at House Beautiful, “Preppy Happy Fabrics“. The story showcases a variety of bright, vibrant textiles from the home furnishings industry.  On the left we have lime seersucker from Holland & Sherry, accompanied by an updated and elegant argyle by Tillett and T4 on the right.

From the story:

“The preppy look is back. With designs ranging from argyle, seersucker, and cable knit, consider this a handbook on how to bring the happy look into your home.”

Other fabrics showcased include the popular “Color me Coral” pattern from the soon-to-launch Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa line (L) and an Ikat style by Quadrille.

Click here to see the entire piece.

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Chanel’s new campaign for its Mademoiselle handbags has officially launched, we thought we would share a look at some of the upcoming ads featuring Gossip Girl Blake Lively.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

Miss Lively is described as the “Ambassadress for the Mademoiselle Handbag collection”. The new bags come in a variety of sizes and finishes.

One more image from the campaign.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel via Fashion Gone Rogue

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Today’s final item involves one of our more recent additions to The AntiPrep Wall of Shame.

World Wrestling Via TMZ

Apparently the Snooki unit is going to be wrestling. From the Pro-Wrestling.com (what, you don’t have it bookmarked?)  website:

“World Wrestling Entertainment issued a press release touting Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s appearance at WrestleMania XXVII, proclaiming “Snooki Mania.” The Jersey Shore star will team up with John Morrison and Trish Stratus to take on Dolph Ziggler and LayCool.”

LayCool… do you think that is their real name?

With apologies, we are brief today, TPP duties are calling!

ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS:

• Alan Davidson/The Picture Library Ltd.
• Sam Furlong/SWNS.com
• Eddie Keogh/Reuters

The Princess Picks Another Anti-Prep

Hello-Hello on a day that is more than a little nippy for this time of year. How nippy? Well, here in the Corner Condo someone was overheard asking The Consort if he knew where the space heater was. It is August treasured readers, not October or November. Sigh.

We thought it best to do this up front, providing fair warning about the content of today’s post:

snarky

Pronunciation: \ˈsnär-kē\
Function: adjective
Etymology: dialect snark to annoy, perhaps alteration of snark to irritate
1 : crotchety, snappish
2 : sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner <snarky lyrics>
snark·i·ly \-kə-lē\ adverb

It’s not quite DEFCON 3, but it only seems fair to indicate a departure from our more standard post.

Frequent readers know TP doesn’t follow many of the popular shows airing on broadcast and cable television, notwithstanding Mad Men and TSU’s (The Spousal Unit) fondness for something about truckers on icy roads, not to mention the longest auction in history for collectible cars.

This lack of ‘hipness’ extends to a program called Jon and Kate Plus Eight, a reference to two parents and their brood of eight offspring. The ‘eight’ are comprised of twins and sextuplets, this mix evidently adding to the broadcast’s appeal.

Courtesy TLC

At any rate, sometime this summer it seems the father, Jon Gosselin, decided there are greener pastures away from the ‘Eight,’ and he is pursuing a solo career of some sort, although we have yet to ascertain precisely what his talents are, other than being a complete oaf, engaged in buffoonery that is likely to inflict hurt and embarrassment on his children now, and in the future.

Back to the subject of all this blather, Mr. Gosselin and his efforts to garner attention and financial remuneration; the conduct leaves us feeling we have no alternative other than to declare he is the latest addition to our Anti-Prep Hall of Shame.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Wet Republic

Above, we see him reclining amazingly close to a poster of… oh, wait! Could it be? Why, that is a poster of Mr. Gosselin promoting a pool party he was hosting this weekend. Imagine that.

According to a story in US Weekly, Mr. Gosselin no longer wants to tape the reality show.

“”I wish I had a 9 to 5 job instead of the nightmare I’m living. This is 24/7,” he told Usmagazine.com outside his $1.1 million Pennsylvania home Monday. “I don’t even want to do taping for the show anymore.”

Below, we see another photograph of Mr. Gosselin at this weekend’s event:

Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Wet Republic

Perhaps a reader can help us understand exactly how one lists this skill on their resume? “Professional pool party host”?

Indeed.

For those not familiar with the Anti Prep, it is a rather exclusive group, albeit an ignoble collection of individuals and in rare cases, inanimate objects.  Previous inductees include Paris Hilton, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, Kim Kardashian, and David Yurman’s Children’s Jewelry. Everyone should know we welcome suggestions for people and things meriting membership in this august group.

We have devoted far more time than necessary to bloviating about someone unworthy of the time and energy. Tomorrow we promise a return to discussion of things that at least register on the Prep-o-meter.  Like more tennis apparel and accessories, particularly those with a preppish pedigree.

A New Anti-Prep is Named, Pink Panther Collection in at Pink’s

Regular readers are familiar with an exclusive club, The Order of the Anti-Prep.  Membership in this society is reserved for those individuals or items so wretched, so horrid in their excess they simply shriek bad taste.  Conspicuous consumption. More than nouveau gauche.  You know what we mean, you don’t need us dredging up the gory backstory.

Our newest member is someone we have pondered naming previously, but we declined to do so out of concern for the ongoing challenges she seemed to face in her personal life.  We no longer harbor such concerns.

Once again Lindsay Lohan appeared on the Princess Radar, this time over the weekend. The reason was a plethora of gossip and non-news news stories about her demands for a First Class seat on a flight back to Los Angeles from Florida.  Ms. Lohan had journeyed to Florida for a Stoopid Super Bowl party, a paid appearance, we are speculating.

PHOTO: Steve Nesius/AP

According to Fox News:

“The 22-year-old caused chaos while departing on a Delta Flight from Tampa, Fla. on Saturday morning when the airline was unable to provide her with a first-class seat on the already overbooked flight.”

Besides being another episode in the “It just isn’t done” category, this is another in a series of seemingly endless incidents pushing TP  and the Consort over the line, leaving us no choice but to name Ms. Lohan an official Anti-Prep.  Honestly.

For those unfamiliar with the dubious title, previously named antipreps include Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.  These individuals are also referred to as TAPWSNBN (The Anti Prep Who Shall Not Be Named), an acronym created by none other than the wonderful I Pick Pretty.

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Another stellar job in a trend report from the sharp minds at Women’s Wear Daily, as they take a look at a wardrobe basic, the white shirt.  Below, the shirt as Tory Burch does it:

PHOTO: Thomas Iannaccone/WWD

Another example, this one is from Tommy Hilfiger:

PHOTO: Thomas Iannaccone/WWD

This example comes from Thomas Pink, whose shirts we adore.

PHOTO: Thomas Iannaccone/WWD

While white is a must-have, isn’t this gem by Pink more fun?  We offer the Pink Fever shirt for your perusal and consideration.

Thomas Pink

It is one of many fabulous pieces in the retailer’s new Pink Panther collection:

Courtesy Thomas Pink

While the next item is crafted for the Man of the House, we do adore them. (However, there is not a chance the Spousal Unit is wearing these, no chance whatsoever.)

Thomas Pink

If any of these tickle your fancy and you plan on buying them online, haste in doing so may be wise, as the collection just went up Saturday and some items are already sold out.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: We must amend this to reflect updated information on the Consort’s socks sentiments: “What do you mean??!! I’d wear those, I think they’re pretty sweet!”  We stand corrected.

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The sales continue everywhere – we haven’t been posting most, as there are just *so* many. But we thought we would mention the Last Call at Emporio Armani:

And also remind everyone of the outstanding offers at J. Press.

J. Press

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We feel we must share a few more “When Pink Goes Bad” items that caught our eye:

Photo: Michiel Meewis

If one is thinking the neon creation above from designer Carly Garwin is merely an aberration, think again.

Montage Courtesy Refinery 29

The folks at Refinery 29’s Pipeline blog shared these in a post last week; you know we couldn’t keep them to ourselves!

All of these creations are from the recent Menswear Fall/Winter 2009 shows in Milan and Paris. Givenchy is responsible for the suit on the far left, Calvin Klein deserves credit for the middle photograph, and the more formal look on the far right comes from Dolce & Gabbana.  We thought the Givenchy was one of the “worst ever” suits until we saw this:

Courtesy Givenchy

To be fair, all three design houses showed some outstanding styles, especially Calvin Klein, frequently worn by yours truly.  But there was simply no way we weren’t posting some of the more outrageous creations.

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We close once again with a Pretty in Pink, sharing another delightful item from our new Lilly Pulitzer Stationery & Gift line. These are the Letterpressed Correspondence Cards, or note cards.

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

They are shown in the Color by Numbers motif; we are fond of its elegant look accented by a touch of whimsy.

A new Anti-prep, Estee Lauder at Wal-mart, Vuitton Watches

Hello-hello! And aren’t we feeling more positive about that pesky little financial crisis. Hhhmm, it must all be taken care of apparently…

AP Photo/Richard Drew

Lots of these faces all over the place Monday, including most of the overseas markets….

Oh…it’s not all taken care of?  We shouldn’t toddle over and visit our friends at the bank to apply for an unsecured loan? Oh. How dreary. And as you can see, not everyone was happy Monday.

Timothy Clary/AFP/Getty

These gentlemen are described as:

“A group of unemployed financial businessmen perform for money on Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange…”

In case this isn’t already evident, ‘Fair Warning’ to readers: it is possible, perhaps even likely, The Princess is feeling a tad snarky today. Oh my!

snarky

Pronunciation: \ˈsnär-kē\
Function: adjective
Etymology: dialect snark to annoy, perhaps alteration of snark to irritate
1 : crotchety, snappish
2 : sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner <snarky lyrics>
snark·i·ly \-kə-lē\ adverb

It has been some time since we shared any new nominations to the AntiPrep Hall of Shame, but with so many suggestions coming in we are concerned about a backup.  Therefore we reveal our newest member: Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth.

AP Photo/Matt Sayles

Yes, that Omarosa.  As a contestant on the first season of NBC’s The Apprentice she was loathed by most; she returned for the Celebrity Apprentice edition. This is a woman who has taken self-promotion to new levels.  Tomorrow Ms. Manigault-Stallworth’s book is released, entitled “The Bitch Switch: Knowing How To Turn It On and Off.”  Really. We couldn’t possibly make this up, not on our best day.

The publisher, Phoenix Books, describes the book:

“From Omarosa, reality star, global television personality, and the prime-time woman you love to hate, comes The Bitch Switch, the smart and bitingly honest must-read for every woman who aspires to succeed in relationships, in business, and at home.”

According to People magazine, Donald Trump wasn’t the first person to fire her:

“The former political appointee—who spoke glowingly of her White House days—was banished from four jobs in two years with the Clinton Administration. At her last one, “she was asked to leave as quickly as possible, she was so disruptive,” says Cheryl Shavers, the former Under Secretary for Technology at the Commerce Department, where Omarosa worked several weeks in 2000.”

If you are not yet familiar with the AntiPrep, it can be either ‘things’ like these, or humanoid, like our HOS members Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. More than anything it is gauche if not outright crass or vulgar, and frequently involves extraordinary levels of self-promotion.

Every day for a week we have been meaning to post this.  We promptly forget about it until the next day when it is once again the most-emailed story on WWD (Women’s Wear Daily online, subscription required) and we say, “Gosh Princess, you really should share this, everyone else seems to find it fascinating.”

Courtesy Estee Lauder

‘This’ is news that Estee Lauder is going mass-market, introducing three different perfumes at Walmart in December before starting sales at other discounters like Target and Kohl’s.  How upset do insiders think the department stores will be? Not very.

“Decades ago, news of a Wal-Mart tie-up would have rattled the chandeliers in the company’s Fifth Avenue headquarters. But now the move could be interpreted as merely reflecting the broad evolution in the market and at Lauder…”

Each of the three scents is named for a gem: Blue Opal, Purple Diamond, and Ruby. They will be packaged as eau de toilette sprays and sell for $17 and $25.  Now on to our next topic.

In the “Life Just Isn’t Fair” category, word today the curvaceous Christina Hendricks isn’t able to borrow designer duds the way more petite stars can.  Ms. Hendricks plays the role of Office Manager Joan Holloway on hit show Mad Men; the Post featured her on the cover of Page Six Magazine this week. Apparently one isn’t necessarily rewarded for being shapely:

“No one will send me dresses,” she says. “Designers loan size 2 or 4 samples to actresses, but I’m not that size. It’s like I’m a freak because I’m curvy and I can’t squeeze into those things. I’ve had some problems with that.”

As regular readers know, TP is so enamored of the show her social secretary knows to plan Sunday evening activities around it, most unusual for the Princess household. A little secret: TP even follows characters from the show on Twitter.  If anyone missed last night’s episode, be advised things became quite cryptic at the close of the show, perhaps related to these two? (Laura Ramsey plays ‘Joy’ with no last name & ‘Don Draper’ is played by Jon Hamm.)

Mad Men on amc.tv

Next, word that luxury superpower LVMH (think of brands like Vuitton, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs) had a smashing third quarter, despite many other retailing groups performing poorly. The only downside seemed to be Vuitton watches, causing one stock investment analyst to say:

“Sales of watches did not slow down, but collapsed…”

Louis Vuitton Bijoux

Some blamed the decline on Tag Heuer’s watches, which are considered the lower end of the company’s brand spectrum. We must admit we did not contribute to any horological growth for any company, anywhere.

Happy day everyone!